Symptoms, diagnostics and treatment of the age-related macular degeneration

The age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an affection of the central part of macula and results in a visual loss in its advanced stages. The early stages of the age-related maculopathy (ARM) are distinguished with an occurence of drusen on the eyeground and abnormalities of retinal pigment epithelium. At the late atrophic and exudative stages of the AMD, the geographical atrophy and choroidal neovascularization are observed. The disease etiology is not fully recognized. Age, sex, race, genetic predisposition, visible light, arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, smoking and antioxidant deficiency were considered as the risk factors. Fluorescein angiography is of an importance in the disease diagnostics and monitoring of the treatment. Any causal treatment is not known. In same cases, a photocoagulation with the argon laser, a photodynamic teraphy and a surgical treatment are recommended. The proper fat-poor and antioxidants-rich feeding plays an important role in the treatement of AMD.